Anyone ever been on this balloon adventure in Myanmar?

 

http://www.easternsafaris.com/balloonsoverbagan_home.html

I did. It is spectacular. Worth every penny to me. You can see photos I took in this trip report

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1444298-myanmar-burma-couple-weeks.html

 

The balloon pics start in post #7

Fabulous photos. Thanks for the link.

Wonderful descriptions, wonderful photos, great thread! If you have time, could you perhaps post a few over here of the balloon trip?

Isn't there a similar sort of Balloon Festival here in Thailand?

There is a balloon operation in Thailand.  http://www.balloonadventurethailand.com/index/

 

I thought about getting more info about them before I spent some time in CM last December. But ultimately had enough other things going on.

 

Balloons Over Bagan operates for several months out of the year during high season. So it's not a "festival" per se. Interestingly according to our captain they pay the local employees year round and jobs with the company are high sought after in the community as a result. So they get their pick of people to hire. He also mentioned that the Myanmar guys are very strong for their size but because they tend to be fairly small they need more of them compared to the operation he works for in Turkey.

i discovered there is in fact a small annual balloon Festival in Thailand - 

 

http://www.thailandballoonfestival.com/2011/about.htm

 

But as the website is a good year out of date, I'm not sure if it is continuing. Th 5th one was held over 3 days last November in/near Chiang Mai.

I used to see an occasional balloon up here (mainly east of the Ping River) but, other than seeing several in the air this past November (must have been the festival noted), can't remember the last time I saw one.  I was once interested in taking one of the flights until I understood the cost (don't remember how much but a bit more than I wanted to pay) and understood that they really don't go over the city. And I recommend you not bother from about mid-February to about May as you wouldn't see much with all the smog.

Useful article covering more or less the whole spectrum for the first-time visitor to Burma, but with the emphasis on Bagan.

 

By balloon

 

The best initial way to see the temples is from a hot-air balloon. The roughly 45-minute flights leave at dawn and drift over much of the site, with glorious views of the river and distant mountains, hazed by mist, as well as a bird’s-eye view of the temples and rural village life. Sunset flights are also available.

 

Balloons Over Bagan (00951 652809  easternsafaris.com) is a privately owned Burmese (but British-run) company, and its balloons are state-of-the art and operated by highly experienced UK crew, along with ground and other staff recruited from the area.

 

Prices are $330 (£217) per person and flights can sell out many months in advance. Flights run roughly mid-October to mid-March, not year-round, and are weather dependent and cannot be guaranteed to operate. Bookings will be refunded. Visitors taking package or tailor-made tours should ensure bookings are made for them. Stand-by tickets are available if you arrive without a booking.

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/trip-of-a-lifetime/10219012/Bagan-Trip-of-a-Lifetime.html